Some people simply drift through life, influenced by the circumstances around them. When there is a lack of direction and meaningful purpose in our lives we lack initiative. The Apostle Paul addressed this problem in his letter to the church at Rome and revealed how we may have a proper sense of urgency:

Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. (Romans 13:11)

The first step is to wake up from our slumber. Too many people are merely existing without a clear sense of purpose. Henry David Thoreau reminded us, “Only that day dawns to which we are awake.” The word that Paul used for time does not refer to the quantity of time, but rather the quality of time. This is not simply a succession of minutes but a season of opportunity. This word refers to a decisive moment that must be boldly apprehended before it passes. We must not only wake up, but we must get up and seize the day:

The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. (Romans 13:12)

Paul tells us that we must lay aside any vestiges of darkness and clothe ourselves with the armor of righteousness. The phrase put on conveys the sense of doing the act right now, without delay. The word armor may also be translated as a weapon. Paul often described the Christian life as a warfare.

The remaining verses of this chapter were instrumental in the church father Augustine’s conversion. In his book Confessions, he related his personal anguish as his heart was in distress because of his inability to experience a life of freedom. He heard a voice saying, “Take up and read” and his eyes fell upon this passage:

Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. (Romans 13:13-14)

Paul identified three pairs of sinful practices that may cause us to be caught up in the deeds of darkness. We may be set free from the lusts of the flesh as we clothe ourselves with the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we are identified with Christ, we do not seek to indulge our fleshly desires. Are you laying aside the deeds of darkness and clothing yourself with the righteousness of Christ? Seneca points out, “When a man does not know what harbor he is headed for, no wind is the right wind.” May we not aimlessly drift through life, but take the initiative to wake up, get up, and dress up to meet the challenges of life.

Rick Higgins

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark